Game of Life
by Goodhumor-gal
Summary: Hermione has lost something she can't live without. She's ignored it for years and only when it's gone does she realize that it means the world to her. Is she too late?
1. Start

It started with Jeopardy.

They had used to sit together on the couch and watch it for hours at a time.  They would eagerly blurt out answers and hit themselves over the head with the popcorn bowl when contestants didn't know what to do.  The companionship was always edged with something, but it was something she had never bothered to explore.  She hadn't thought things would turn out the way they had.  But they did.

Harry.

He had confessed his love for her in seventh year, but to no avail.  This was before she came to her senses and realized she had said yes to the wrong person.  His words still hung in her head,

"You're everything to me."

She remembered everything.

How each time she dated someone new he would tell her that this guy was going to be perfect for her.  This was going to be the guy that'd she fall for.  This was it.  Hang on because it's going to be a wild ride.  It was.  But it wasn't with him.

The conversations made her wince.

-----

"Greg meet Harry.  Harry, Greg."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Greg, this is the sweetest guy I've ever known."

"Yeah…"

"I guess you two better be off."

"Bye Harry."

"Bye Hermione, Greg, have fun."

-----

"Matt meet Harry.  Harry, Matt."

"Hey Matt."

"Nice to make your aquaintance."

"I met Hermione through work.  Do you live with her?"

"No, I just…stop by often."

"He's a real sweetie."

"Oh, look at the time.  You guys better get going or you'll miss your reservations."

"Thanks Harry, bye."

"Bye."

-----

"Leo meet Harry.  Harry, Leo."

"Hey."

"Hey."

-----

"Jack meet Harry.  Harry, Jack."

-----

And she remembered once, so long ago.

"Ron meet Harry.  Harry, Ron."

"Geez Mione, I know the guy.  We've been best friends for,"

"10 years."

"Exactly."

-----

What had she been thinking?  She'd waited so long to find Mr. Right, and ended up instead with Mr. Snotty, Mr. I-Know-Everything, and Mr. Let's-Go-Back-To-My-Place.  And every time afterwards, there was Harry.

Harry who held her, Harry who kissed her cheek, Harry who told her everything would be fine. He said men were blind to not see the beauty before them.  That they were deaf to not hear her incredible voice.  But most of all that they were dumb to throwaway someone as amazing as herself.

And she never got the hints.

Never once did she suspect that when he reached for her hand he was really saying, "I like spending time with you."

Never did she think that maybe he liked to give her things because he truly felt something for her.

Never did the thought occur that he told her jokes and took her to the carnival every year because he loved to see her smile.

Never.

She missed every opportunity, took every dead end, and didn't see the blaring signals that said the train was coming on through.

Harry James Potter was a friend.  As far as Hermione understood that was how it always would be.  The sweetest guy she'd ever known, the Mr. Right she'd overlooked, and the man whose heart she would always hold had left.

He'd given up, and the moment after he'd done so, she'd gotten it.  She finally did.

Oh!  So THAT'S why he gave me the necklace when it wasn't a holiday.

Oh!  Is THAT why he held me even after I'd stopped crying when I broke up with Mr. I'm-To-Good-For-You.

Oh, I get it now.

He had tried for years to capture her attention but she'd always been too busy giving it away to someone else.  Too busy giving flirtatious glances at the other studly seventh years, too busy doing homework that wasn't due for ages, too busy reading Hogwarts A History Version 33.

She knew now.  She wanted another chance.  She was willing to give anything to find him, to hold him, to tell him it only took her five years to realize what was right in front of her.

Hermione wasn't going to lose him, she had the answer and was ready to ring in to Alex.

"What is, Harry Potter."


	2. Finish

(A/N: This was originally going to be 2 chapters, but I molded it into one instead because chapter three would have been less than a page.)

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Countryside streamlined by her window as Five Iron Frenzy blared out of the car speakers.  Only with her seatbelt on and the car engine running did doubt begin to cascade over her shoulders.

What if he didn't love her anymore?

What if he had given up because there was nothing there?

Hermione's thoughts swirled around in circles, always ending up back to her original question.  She loved him.  That was the answer.  Nothing else mattered for the time being.

The faint mooing noise interrupted her thoughts.  A grin pulled its way onto her face as she passed a blur of cows.

-----------------------

"Hermione are you ok?"  
"I don't want to talk right now Harry."

_He stopped.  Hermione's sniffles were what had caused him to peer into the Head Girl's room._

_"I heard about what happened," he said slowly.  This was a lie.  He didn't know anything.  Reverse psychology was always supposed to work in these situations._

_"You did?"  God, he hated to lie to her._

_"Yeah… I'm sorry."  Suddenly she had collapsed, sobbing into his arms._

_"He was being so nice and then…and then…"  A fresh wave of tears stained Harry's shirt as he gently rubbed her back._

_"He dropped me like I was nothing!  Nothing!"  Harry had to smile at Hermione's outrage.  She had a way of being beautiful when she was furious.  By now he guessed that her latest flame, Peter, had dumped her._

_"It's his loss," he said softly, "besides, he chews like a cow."  Suddenly she pulled away and looked up at him astonished.  He had such a serious look on his face that she wanted to laugh._

_"I've seen him eat before," he continued, "He eats like a cow.  Sounds like one too."  And suddenly she couldn't help it.  She burst into giggles, gently pushing him aside._

_"You're crazy!" she said smiling._

_"And you're hopeless."  He replied, rolling his eyes and grinning._

_-----------------------_

Had that really been five years ago?  She clicked off the radio, wishing someone else was in the car so she could fall asleep.  Sirius had mentioned in a letter that Harry had always wanted to visit Greener Pastures, some farm in the country that advertised gentle living.  Still she had to smile, the famous Harry Potter at a countryside manor?  The thought was absurd.  They were only 23, they still had their entire lives ahead of them.

The green lands stretched on and on, a monotony of grass and farmland.  The road shifted slightly back and forth, up and down, a soothing pattern to fall asleep to.  Hermione had to stop twice to get out of the car and wake herself up by doing jumping jacks and stretches.

Clicking the seatbelt back into place she felt she was ready for another eight hours of driving.  The thought made her woozy.

It's for him, she reminded herself quietly, for him.

----------------------------

_"I love you."  There was an awkward silence between the two.  Harry quickly covered it up though,  
"I love you as more than a friend.  More than anything.  You're the most amazing woman I've ever met.  There aren't enough words or time to describe everything I love about you.  But mostly, it's because you're you."_

_She stared at him.  He loved her?  Why?  He'd said why, but… why?_

_Her silence was defeating.  She didn't love him.  There wasn't any reassurance in her eyes.  No comforting touch.  No words to repair what he had just done.  But he could attempt to bridge the gap._

_"I didn't plan to act on it, I mean, I wanted to act as if I still thought of you as just a friend.  But I couldn't."  He looked straight at her, "You're everything to me."_

_She couldn't look at him.  Couldn't try to read his eyes as she had done so many times before.  So she did the only thing she thought of,_

_"I'm sorry."  And then she walked away._

_He watched her retreating figure, eyes dropping to the ground, heart aching worse than when he'd lost the House Cup for Gryffyndor.  Nothing compared to this._

_--------------_

McDonalds!  Finally.  Hermione was more than ready for some chain-restaurant fast-food.  Ordering a double cheeseburger and plenty of coke she pulled to the window only to hear a snippet of interesting conversation.

"You saw Harry Potter?  No way!"

"Yes way!  He is sooo hot!"

"Oh God, I can only imagine…"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, one double cheeseburger and four large cokes.  Would you like fries with that?"  Smiling awkwardly she replied no and grabbed her paper bag.  Driving away she didn't spot the speed bump and watched in slow motion as one large coke spilled on her shirt.

"Damnit!"  She swore, trying messily to sop up the coke.  Too late, the shirt was ruined.  Hopefully this wasn't an omen of later things to come.

Consulting her map she realized that Greener Pastures was only two more hours away.  Two hours and she would see Harry Potter.

-----------------

As it turned out, two hours seemed a lot more like six than it did like two.  Hermione's remaining three cokes had been emptied and all that remained of her meal was a paper bag of trash and the stain on her shirt.  She suddenly realized that she hadn't at all been prepared for this trip.  She'd brought no extra clothes and very little money.

What if he turned her away?  What would she do?  Where would she go?

Stopping to refill on gas she desperately prayed that Harry Potter was not lost to her.  Her heart pounded as she remembered the McDonalds girl's earlier conversation.  Smiling she couldn't help but think that yes, he had turned into something of a stud around his twentieth birthday.  Although girls at Hogwarts had noticed him much earlier than that.

----------------

_"Oh God, is that Harry Potter?"_

_"It is!  Quick, hold in your stomach!"_

_"Hi Harry!"  The girls fluttered their eyelashes and gave petite waves.  Harry grinned and waved back._

_"He waved!" Swooned the girls, leaning against each other with dreamy looks on their faces.  Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at her best friend._

_"You just HAD to indulge them didn't you."_

_"What can I say?  I'm just a nice guy."  She punched him lightly on the armed as he smiled widely._

_"Now how about that Potions essay…"_

_--------------_

Driving again.  The clock seemed to tick down the minutes till the climax of her short life.  An hour.  Forty-five minutes.  Half an hour.  Fifteen minutes.  Ten minutes.  Five minutes.  Three minutes.  One minute.  THIRTY SECONDS.

Ding.

The gates of Greener Pastures swung open as Hermione I've-Finally-Gotten-It-Together Granger drove swiftly down the lane.

-----------------

Her heart was beating faster than she ever remembered it having done so.  It was just Harry right?  Just Harry.

What a joke.

Looking at the marquee in the center of the small private community she quickly scanned the list.

"Potter…Potter…where…hmm.." She continued down until she found, "Porter, Porton, Post, Possum, Potter.  Potter!"

'Harry Potter,' she thought quietly to herself, 'I've found you at last.'

All the way to his door she tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing.  She'd missed him more than anything the last few months.  Ringing the doorbell she didn't realize she had been holding her breath until it opened.

"Hermione?"

Her jaw dropped and she couldn't speak.  Standing in front of her was no one other than the fantastic Harry Potter.  Forget the fox, she was in love with the man before her.

"Harry!"  Suddenly she had jumped into his arms, not caring what people may think.  He usered her into the house, awkwardly shutting the door with his foot.  She let a smile grace her face as Jeopardy music could be heard quietly ringing from the TV.

"What are you…how did you…I didn't…"  He was stuttering, staring wide-eyed at her.  She couldn't help but smile, it was really him.  Before he could continue his ramblings she interrupted,

"I love you."  There was a thick silence as he watched her carefully.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"  She laughed and took a step closer to him.

"I love you.  I think I always have but was too stupid to know I was."  He tried to interject and tell her that she wasn't stupid at all but she forged on ahead.  "I love how you always know just what to say to make me feel better.  I love so many things about you that it would take me years to explain it all.  I love you Harry Potter."  Quoting from who but the man himself she added, "You're everything to me."

Recognition immediately lit his eyes and very slowly the corners of his moth turned upwards.

"You do?  I mean…I am?"  Smiling even wider she replied,

"You are."  She wrapped her arms around him again, inhaling deeply his personal scent.  She had hoped beyond hope that he would still feel something for her.  As he kissed the top of her head she knew, everything would be ok as long as she had Harry.

------

Much of the evening was spent talking.  Hermione couldn't seem to say the things fast enough, he always managed to beat her to the punchline, "I love you."

The romance books were sappy.  The soap operas were corny.  But the real thing was unimaginably sweet.  Snuggling deeper into his chest she whispered,

"What would I have done if I hadn't found you?"

Smiling he answered, "Starved and become a rambling madwoman because you lost the handsomest guy ever."  She laughed at the mock-gallant look on his face.

"Right."  Poking her in the stomach he laughed, tightening his hold on her waist.

"You're beautiful you know."  She smiled in spite of herself, Harry had said this at least twenty times already.  Before he could start ticking things off on his fingers she leaned up and kissed him squarely on the mouth.

Shock was displayed all over his features as she pulled back.

"What?" she questioned, a playful smile shining through her concern.

"I just…you said…but I didn't know…"

"You thought it wasn't real?"  He merely nodded at her.

Brushing her lips against his she quietly murmured,

"Well get used to it Potter.  You're going to be stuck with me for a long time."  Grinning on her lips he greedily pulled her closer.

------------

Meanwhile in the background Mr. Trebek smugly announced,

"And that's it for tonight show!  Join us next time for the big Jeopardy! Tournament and until then, good night."

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(A/N: Disclaimers and Such: I do not own Jeopardy, Mr. Trebek, or anything affiliated with Harry Potter.  Inspiration for this came from the song 'Suckerpunch' by Five Iron Frenzy which Hermione just happens to be listening to on her eight hour drive.  There are several other smaller gags I added in (ie: Greener Pastures, The Fantastic Mr. Fox) which I do not own.  If you feel like suing me for anything I didn't name, h


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